We received 1271 cases including children and staff during the first wave
Now we have good experience and we share in research about the relationship between Coronavirus and cancer
We basically treat cancer, but we have learned how to treat Coronavirus, just like the rest of the world
As we cannot give up on our children, nor our staff who are the base of 57357’s success
Since we are entrusted with the safety and wellbeing of our children, we have equipped an isolation unit, to enable us to treat them promptly from the virus so that they would not be delayed from starting or resuming their cancer treatment .Employees are the Hospital’s responsibility too as they represent its backbone.
Dr. Ibrahim Abdo Ibrahim, 34 years, is the hero of 57357’s isolation unit and one of the Hospital’s most zealous and anonymous soldiers. Before last March, he was a pharmacist assigned to the surgery department then he was transferred to the continuous education department. With the outbreak of the Corona pandemic he sensed danger getting closer to the Hospital. The Hospital management were getting ready to face the crisis through the setting up of an isolation set-up for patients and staff.
“ I thought I must have a role in facing this danger. I embarked on educating myself and reading all the studies and publications about the virus, which was new for the whole world. I decided to volunteer to work in the isolation department along with a team of pharmacists who volunteered to explain the treatment protocols,” shares Dr. Ibrahim. “Within 14 days we finished the preparation of the isolation unit in the Egyptian Pediatric Association’s building. We received one of 57357 staff as the first Coronavirus case on the 11th of May. 57357 administration resorted to chest consultants from Alqasr Al-Einy to work in the isolation unit,” he added.
Many stories and situations unfolded In the isolation unit which will forever be engraved in my mind. I remember my first friend, Sagda, a 14 year old girl. She came to the Hospital with leukemia, and was also infected with Coronavirus. She was kept in the isolation unit for 14 days. We rushed to treat the Coronavirus so that we would be able to start the cancer treatment protocol. Sagda has recovered from Corona and is still fighting cancer as leukemia treatment journey lasts from two to three years.
In case a child with cancer got infected with Coronavirus, he has to be treated first before starting chemotherapy, since chemotherapy weakens immunity which he needs to be strong to be able to fight the virus. Moreover, when a child gets infected with Coronavirus, his psychological condition is affected because of his isolation away from his mother and family. As such, the isolation team is committed to reaching out to the children to lift up their morale with help of the Hospital’s psychiatrists.
When Coronavirus cases increased and we needed more space, a complete floor in the new treatment building was equipped to host the cases. The management decided to prepare an integrated isolation unit to take care of our patients and alleviate the pressure on the other hospitals. Dr. Mahmoud Hamad was the head of the unit, I was the deputy and we had a complete team with us. Intensive care and chest consultants from Alqasr Al-Einy supervised us and they found that the treatment protocol we applied was accurate. The unit received 1271 cases within the first wave while the intensive care received 64 child and 75 staff. Thanks be to God we could deal with all the cases.
Dr. Ibrahim continues: These were hard days, I was unable to see my family, I used to see my daughters in the balcony from the street. We used to work in the unit for 14 to 18 hours a day with no vacations and wearing masks all the time. Dr. Sherif used to follow up with us second by second. Although 2020 was a tough year, it was very rewarding for me because I could provide some help to others during hard circumstances. The same with my colleagues in the medical team, we all realized that if someone decided to help others, God granted him the strength and the ability to do so. At the bed ofa sick child, colleague or friend we all devoted ourselves to do anything to save them.
Gained experience
About the nature of the covid-19 virus, Dr. Ibrahim reveals: after the first wave, we acquired experience and more understanding of the nature of the dangerous virus and how to face it. Among the strange complications of this virus is that it may cause a huge drop in the percentage of oxygen in the blood with no appearance of any other symptoms which may cause quick deterioration that may lead to sudden death, hence, oxygen ratio must be measured frequently. Also among the severe complications what is known as the cytokine storm : the immune system is attacking the lung and destroying it without a known reason. Another complication is the occurrence of coagulations, which need continuous follow up , testing and preventive medication. There is also the quantum accumulation of the virus which explains the appearance of more severe conditions than others. The patient’s psychological condition and his exposure to depression because of isolation is an important factor that should be monitored.
Research:
As 57357 is always pursuing to benefit from the experiences it gains, it started working on the knowledge it gained from dealing with children who are infected with cancer and Coronavirus at the same time. Dr. Ibrahim says that the Hospital is currently engaged in a research about the relationship between Coronavirus and cancer, supported by 64 children who received treatment in the isolation department. This may contribute to discovering therapeutic methods to enhance the ability of children with cancer in facing Coronavirus.
General advice:
About the difference between Corona and flu symptoms, Dr. Ibrahim says: most of the symptoms are similar and the patient may suffer from all of the symptoms or some of them. The most important symptoms are fever, pain in throat and chest, headache, cough, fatigue, bone ache and sometimes diarrhea or abdominal pain.
If a patient got two of these symptoms he should immediately seek medical advice so that he would be diagnosed early. Precautionary measures such as wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing are very important. Raising immunity through healthy nutrition and hot drinks such as hot cinnamon, ginger, anise and tea along with vitamins and zinc tablets are also very important.
Chest clinic for the new Coronavirus:
With the outbreak of the second wave of the pandemic, AFNCI in cooperation with the Egyptian Pediatric Association and under the supervision of Hospital 57357, offers diagnostic and treatment services for the new Coronavirus for patients from out of the Hospital, for competitive prices. The income of this service contributes to the treatment of children with cancer. The service is provided by the Coronavirus’s chest clinic, under the supervision of 57357 and specialized consultants from Alqasr Al-Einy.
The clinic services include:
- Preliminary diagnostic service by carrying a swap, blood test and CT scan for the chest. The results and diagnosis is ready in three hours
- Dispensing the new Coronavirus medications, according to the Ministry of Health’s protocol and to the patient’s condition
- Post diagnosis follow up services, including follow up tests such as swap, blood picture and x-rays, according to the treating doctor’s request. This is in addition to phone follow up by a specialized pharmacist, phone follow up by the doctor in case of continued symptoms, a visit for the patient to the chest clinic and psychological follow up by a psychology consultant if required
- The services do not include hospitalizing the patient in the Hospital or the intensive care unit, if required, the case may be referred to a specialized hospital